INDIANAPOLIS — Every racing team that shows up at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the month of May is keen on winning the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”.
That goal is certainly not lost on Beth Paretta, who is making a return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as part of the IndyCar ranks for the first time since 2016. As team principal of Paretta Autosport, she and her team are here to compete for a win, but Paretta is careful not to get ahead of herself or the team.
“My realistic expectations are, I just want us to qualify,” Paretta said. “And I don’t take that for granted. Indy is a big mountain to climb, and none of that is lost on me and none of that is lost on our team. So, realistically, I want us to make the show.”
Paretta introduced her IndyCar team to the world back in January with former Indy 500 rookie of the year Simona De Silvestro as her driver. Her team has an emphasis on bringing more women into the sport, not just as drivers but as mechanics, pit crew members, and in public relations roles.
Since then she says things have been progressing well in getting a car put together in a technical alliance with Team Penske. With that kind of support, Paretta is confident they can do that.
“If we are blessed to hit our marks and qualify, I want us to finish the race,” she said.
Still, though her short-term goal for her team is making the field of 33 cars that will roll off on race day in a little over two weeks, Paretta has eyes on a bigger future for her team.
“My goal is that this is a long-term program,” she said. “This program isn’t made or broken based off of this year’s Indy 500. If we do well, great let’s talk, and let’s see where it goes. But, if we finish 20th, you know, that’s okay.”
Paretta hasn’t committed the No. 16-car to any other races in the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series calendar. But, she is optimistic that the team will be able to run in one more race later in the season. She also is confident they will be able to run a partial schedule in 2022.
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Beth Paretta talking about her goals for the Month of May:
